Saving Grace
by Zuzak
Summary: After 5 years of being a firefighter, Jacob Black has to face the devastating tragedy of September 11th, 2001. As he fights his way through the burning ruble he will come face to face with a pair of brown eyes that will forever change him. S.O.B CONTEST


"**SORT OF BEAUTIFUL CHALLENGE" Entry**

**Title: **Saving Grace

**Your pen name(s): **Zuzak

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**DISCLAIMER: Twilight characters and related likeness owned by Stephenie Meyer, Little Brown Publishing. No profits have been received in the production of this piece.**

~*~*~*~*~*~ **Saving Grace **~*~*~*~*~*~

~*~

"_**Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing true or beautiful makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must by saved by faith. Nothing we do however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we are saved by love." **_

_**- Reinhold Niebuhr.**_

It was a typical Tuesday morning and a slow day at work. In any other job but mine you would hate a slow day. It meant that time would drag on relentlessly until it was time for you to leave. Here, however it meant that nothing terrible has happened and no one has the chance of getting hurt. Today was September 11th, 2001. A day that would unknowingly change my life forever.

My name is Jacob Black and I have been a firefighter for 5 years now, including when I was younger and a volunteer firefighter. At the age of 26 most men haven't seen or been through what I have through my line of work, or even for some they will go their entire life and not see it. As devastating as it is I have pulled mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, and even helpless baby's life less bodies from a fire or even car crash. I, myself have had many injuries and many, many late nights.

People, strangers even, have asked me why I remain a firefighter and endure all this. Why I would continue to put my life in harms way for strangers I don't know. The answer is simple. It is because even though I have witnessed many houses fall to the ground and many lives that couldn't be saved I have held in my arms or held onto those related to them when I broke the news; there is always that one house or the one person that keeps you going. Those whom you get to save that keeps you pushing through all the bad because you were able to save that one person.

Usually on slow days like this, the guys and me would play cards or watch a little TV, but not today. We were all relaxing from the previous night we had a domino fire. The fire affected four houses on Willow Avenue, an arsonist caught a garage on fire which led to the destruction of it and two of the houses.

I was laying on the bed and listening to an old AC/DC album that Embry always played as the alarm went off. Without thinking, almost as if I was on auto pilot, I ran to the pole and slid down beginning my rush to throw on my gear. As my feet hit the ground the phone rang through the alarm.

"Quil! Can you get the phone!?" I yelled as I climbed into my suit. Quil answered and was only on for a few seconds before he rushed to me.

"Jacob! Listen that was the police and they said bring whomever was here, even the newbies, because a plane crashed into one of the twin towers." His voice was distraught and his face paled.

I was sure his thoughts went to the same place mine did. Right now there were people taking their last breath and dying . My heart felt as if it fell out of my chest. I knew I ha to get there and do all I could to help.

"Code Red!!" I began to repeat my demands for everyone to gear up and as fast as they could. I could tell the newbies were frightened but it is that very fear that they will make them a great firefighter.

As soon as we whipped out of the garage we could see the thick venom pouring out through the sky.

It only took us a matter of minutes before we reached the building that had flames licking every side of it. Everything went blurry as screams and sirens echoed through my ears and sent trembles through my body. People were franticly running through the streets trying to escape the disaster.

The one crew began to get the hoses out and fight back the fire as my crew rushed inside the burning rumble to rescue who we could. I was blessed with one of the best crews I could ask for. Most were childhood friends or men from around the reservation. My crew consisted of Quil, Embry, Jared, Paul and now Seth. Seth was younger then the rest of us and a newbie. We looked out for him in the most part but I knew it would be near impossible today. I only hoped that we trained him well enough for him to know what to do to get in and get out safely. Sam Uley was our chief and one hell of one at that.

Most of the guys had families. Wives and kids to get back too, but I didn't. I never found that one girl I wanted to spend eternity with and was beginning to debate if it would ever happen. If it didn't I would be completely content doing my job.

Face after face flashed by me as I inhumanly raced through the building and back out even faster than I ever have. I knew as every second ticked by that the fire was weakening this building, soon it would be crumbling to the ground. We got maybe over a hundred people out but there were still thousands were trapped inside as Seth, Sam and I rushed back in.

We felt the ground beneath us tremble and quake. After helping a few more people out we escaped the rumble only to find the other building in flames as the screams and cries became louder. From what I could determine, the other building was hit by another plane. The fear and panic sunk into me as it did many others. That meant that it wasn't an accident and we were not only fighting against the flames but terrorists as well.

I didn't sit and wait to see if there would be another attack. Instead I ran full force into the building that was just hit and began to search for anyone I could find. I was in such a hurry and in no mind caring about my own life that I hadn't noticed the trembling of the foundation below me as I entered the room.

It was only one more step before I felt the gravity change and the instant blows of debris that was now on top of me. Before I even had a chance to realize what happened everything went black.

It felt like hours had passed when I began to hear a cry that was so loud and clear. It sounds as if it were coming right from right next to me.

"Please help me!….Can anyone hear me? I am still down here. Please someone help!" I heard over and over again.

I tried to yell back but my throat was on fire an my mouth was completely dry. It was several minutes later that I was able to utter a thing.

"Ma'am..it's okay. We will get help soon." I managed to choke out hoarsely. It fell even quieter than it was before I heard her speak.

"Are you trapped too?" She whispered. The sadness, pain and fear were evident in her voice and it was heart wrenching.

"Yes, I am. How badly are you trapped? Can you move anything?" I asked. Despite my own pain I was now entirely focused on her. My suffering didn't matter for the time being I needed to help her the best I could.

"I can move one of my arms." She said and I began to hear movement to the right of me as dust fell on my face. I watched a small hole appear next to me. It was completely dark here, except for a few small shivers of light that shown through. That light was the only hope I had as it flittered back and forth.

A second later a beautiful face that was hidden behind blood and dust appeared in the newly made hole. As soon as her brown eyes saw me she began to sob even harder.

"Shh….Shh…It's okay. We will get out of here." I spoke softly trying to calm her.

"I am so scared. I have been yelling for hours it seems. I didn't even think I was going to see anyone one again." She cried continuously and the only thing I could do to comfort her was to rub my fingertips across her arm, for that was all the further I could reach.

We sat in silence as she began to calm down. I didn't know what to say to her. I was usually the one protecting and saving and here I was trapped right next to her. I remained silent and gained my composure.

"So, what is your name?" she asked. I was startled by her casual question in such a tragic moment that it took me a second to remember the answer.

"Jacob…Jacob Black and yours?"

"Bella…Bella Swann." She said back to me.

"Bella is a pretty name." I said while wincing at the sudden new pain that raced through my numb legs.

"How old are you Jacob?" She ask and again it took me a few seconds to answer.

"26. How about you?" I asked wincing again.

"28. Did you work here?" she asked softly. I couldn't help but wonder if she were experiencing some pain of her own that she wasn't telling me.

"No. I am a firefighter." I answered nonchalantly. She sighed before continuing.

"Do you know what happened?" she asked and I didn't think that telling her the complete truth was a good idea so I only told part of it.

"A plane crashed through the tower. A piece of it hit this one and it caught on fire." I spoke and again it fell silent. I hated the fact that I was pinned here while I could be helping people. I could be helping Bella. People that were alone, trapped and hurt under the debris. Instead I was one of those people.

"Jacob." Bella broke the silence again. "Do you have a wife or children?"

"No. Do you?" I asked.

"A wife? No. I don't have any children or a husband either." she said with a hint out humor outshining the sadness.

"Do you live on your own?" She asked and this was followed by many more questions.

It was much later that I noticed her voice beginning to fade and then fell completely silent. Falling asleep was dangerous and I tried my best to wake her as fast as I could.

"Bella! Bella!!" I yelled as loudly as I could.

"Huh…"she spoke quietly after a few moments.

"Bella, you have to stay awake. You can't fall asleep." I yelled.

"I am just going to rest my eyes. I am so tired." she spoke as she began to tremble. "I am so.o…cold.d…d" Her bottom lip began to quiver.

"Bella, honey, you have to stay awake. It is very important that you stay awake. Talk to me. Okay, just talk." I said as I tried to coax her to stay conscious.

"I'm sorry." she whimpered.

"No don't be sorry. Just stay awake. Talk to me." I tried effortlessly.

"Thank you for talking to me Jacob." She whispered as her eyes began to flutter shut.

"Bella!!" I yelled causing her eyes to fly open again. I was growing increasingly tired having to keep her awake and I was fighting my own urge to slip into the darkness that called for me as well.

She ran her fingers over mine and looked up at me.

"You know…you're sort of beautiful Jake." She whispered and I couldn't help but smile.

"You are sort of beautiful yourself, Bella." I noticed her lips twitched a little and the her hand suddenly went limp and her beautiful brown eyes fell shut.

"Bella!..Bella!" I screamed again, exerting myself the best I could. I continued to yell before I too, slowly followed her into the darkness.

~ * ~

I was unable to tell how long it was before I abruptly came to from a loud noise and a bright light above me.

I wasn't able to think straight yet and resumed yelling for Bella, but still received no response. A few more minutes and countless yells later I saw a yellow figure appearing above me.

"Jacob!!" Quil yelled and I never thought I would be so happy to hear his voice in my life. "Jacob, buddy, hold tight I am going to get you out of there." He yelled back to me and the relief that swept through me took what energy I had left.

"Bella! You hear that? We are finally getting out of here." I barely whispered and than soon I drifted into the dark as Quil's voice faded.

~ * ~

I awoke to a beeping sound and light piercing my eyes. As I blinked the scenery before me became clearer.

It only took me a few seconds before I realized I was free. While it seemed as if I was in bad shape I was alive after all.

While I was relived to recognize this and saddened to think that others didn't have the same happy outcome. There were probably some that were still trapped beneath the rubble, still praying for a happy outcome. There were probably family members mourning their lose right now for the ones that were found but still didn't make it. Yet here I am. My mind instantly raced to Bella. I began to panic not knowing what happened to her and it was then that Quil walked through the door.

"You're awake! How are you feeling?" he asked as he took a seat next to me. I couldn't help but notice the two gashes he had across his left cheek. Obvious hazards of the job.

"Bella. The girl that was next to me, where is she?" I immediately asked. He seemed to be confused at first before he remembered who I was talking about

"Oh Jacob. I am so sorry but she died last night in the hospital." His voice was low and full of emotion.

"Last night? In the hospital?" I asked as I felt the pain wash through me.

"Jacob, you have been in a coma for the past 5 days. Has a nurse seen you since you woke up?" He asked while checking my chart. Before I could answer him he was already yelling for a nurse.

Slowly I began to block everyone out as I tried to remember Bella's facial features and the sound of her voice when she wasn't crying.

How could she die? Why was it me that survived? I would have gladly given my life if she could have taken my place here now. She shouldn't have died. She was so scared and so helpless.

The next several days went by in silence. I didn't go anywhere nor did I speak to anyone. I couldn't turn on the TV with a ghastly reminder as the footage was played over and over on almost every channel. The first day after I left the hospital I began to return phone calls from loved ones and relatives who left messages or sent cards. However it became too much to bear when I thought of what Bella's family must be going through and what they were preparing for. I still didn't know if all my co-workers were alive. Seth was found beneath a steal beam two days before I was. He escaped with a leg that was broken in 3 places but otherwise was fine. Quil had a few wounds that required stitches and Embry and Paul escaped with a few bruises. The only two still left unaccounted for were Jared and Sam.

The distinct feeling of nausea overcame me as I still bore the stench of burning rubber and smoke. Everything I thought of brought me back to Bella. Dear sweet Bella.

It wasn't until I saw the beautiful picture of her in the paper along side her obituary that I knew where she was being buried. It was a short distance from me house so I decided to walk there to attended the service.

After dressing in my uniform I took the first step outside my house since Quil brought me home the other day. As I started to walk down the sidewalk I felt the now familiar pain as it washed through my leg. I pushed passed it, for I was able to walk down this sidewalk while Bella wasn't.

Slowly I came upon the grave site. I tried to hide in the back as I heard her mother and father speak. Through out the whole service almost no one noticed me until her father came to my side.

"Excuse me sir, I am not sure I ever met you before, were you a friend of Bella's?" He asked. I couldn't help but notice the sadness in his eyes, he was mourning his loss. I thought carefully on my answer, but this time however I thought the truth was needed.

"Well I would like to think of her as my friend. She saved my life." My voice was laced with emotion. Her father paused a moment before continuing.

"Are you him? Are you the young man, the one whose hand she was holding when they pulled her from the ruble?" His question took me by surprise. She at one point was holding my hand but I wasn't aware of it when we were freed.

"Yes, sir. I was trapped right next to her." Before I could continue I was being hugged by the man. I hugged him back as I heard him begin to cry.

"Thank you…so much for being there with her. Was she scared? Was she in pain?" The grown man began to ask as we shed tears over the loss of his daughters life.

"She was a soldier sir. She helped me, I was no longer afraid with her by my side and she was in no pain." I lied. Clearly it was a lie and I was pretty sure he didn't see it. No father needs to know how frightened their daughter was in a situation like that. Especially when in which she didn't survive.

Her father, which I had come to know as Charlie, introduced me to her mother and the rest of her family. We talked about what happened that day very briefly in comparison to the rest of her life. I discovered that Bella worked in the tower and just returned back to work after a short sick leave. She was still recovering from a cold and they tried to talk her out of going but she felt guilty for having her co-workers loaded down with her extra work. She was a beautiful woman on the inside and out. She had a heart of gold. She worked at the homeless shelter and animal hospital in her free time. She even brought home a 3 legged blind cat after the Vet wanted to put it down, stating no one would obviously want such a helpless creature.

While spending the day with her family I couldn't help but feel her presence there with us. It wasn't until we said our goodbyes and I promised her mom to come back and visit that I started to limp my way back home.

How was it we lived so close to each other and never run into each other? If we had before this mess who knows what would have happened.

I began to think of my life and of my life as a New Yorker, in a city known for it's strength, courage and now resilience. All three of which Bella held. This was my home and in this state of shock and owe she was as well. I had become a haven for a lost and tormented soul. I struggled to keep my composure that day. I was just as enraged and panicked struck as every other soul there. While most just looked away I stayed. My grandfather always told me there were three kinds of people in life. There are the ones that leave, the ones that stay and freeze and then the ones that stay and help. He always told me how proud he was that I was one of the ones that stayed and helped.

I began this day consumed with guilt for surviving such a devastation and wondered why my life was spared and Bella's wasn't. However now here I was, after being around her family all day I realized something. I felt her presence surrounding me. I didn't know what was going to become of my life or what my next step would be but I knew in my heart that there was one thing I knew for certain.

If it wasn't for Bella I would never had stayed awake. I would have been overcome with helplessness and succumbed to the dark. Instead I had her there and knew she needed to be saved. While I was trying to save her, she unknowingly saved me. She became my saving grace.

Thank you so much for reading! If you liked it please review!


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